On our first evening in Madrid, we took a leisurely walk up Ponzano Street to check out the tapas spots the area is known for. Our first stop, Bokaxankla Bar, had a young vibe. Lots of tables were...
Blog posts from International Travel
Eric’s 50th: Madrid, where we stayed
Madrid: Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid We had a nice quiet room at the end of the hallway that faced an inner courtyard, which was perfect for sleeping. The bathroom was a good size, but the frosted...
Eric’s 50th: flights, trains, and rental cars
RDU > LHR > MAD Our flight out of Raleigh was on time and Eric managed to snag us main cabin extra seats in the bulkhead area so we had two seats to ourselves. Neither of us slept that well...
Eric’s 50th: overview and planning
When thinking about where I wanted to spend my 50th birthday I knew I wanted good food, moderate weather, and somewhere at least a little new to us. Northern Spain really fit those criteria: we...
Colombia: Medellin sites
We don't normally sign up for tours on our travels, but some of the places we wanted to see weren't great areas for tourists to explore on their own, so we made an exception on this trip. Medellín:...
Colombia: Medellin food & drink
Poblado Restaurante Malevo - Our Comuna 13 tour started and ended at the Poblado metro station, so we decided to stay in this neighborhood for dinner. Empanadas sounded good, so we grabbed a table...
Colombia: Medellin, intro and where we stayed
We like to go somewhere warmer in early February, so when we saw inexpensive airfares to Colombia we jumped on the opportunity. From North Carolina it took roughly as long as reaching the US West...
2025 Year in Review
Previous years-in-review – 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 In 2025 our international travel took us back to South America and Asia for...
Euro Trip 2025: Turin Luci d’Artista light festival
When researching Turin I came across the Luci d'Artista, a light festival that spans autumn into winter. We lucked out that the very first day for the lights was our last evening in Turin! We didn't...
Euro Trip 2025: Turin sights
Turin is a large city, and even with most of a week we still only saw a few neighborhoods around the center. Sunday We arrived at the Porta Susa train station in the early afternoon - it was a long...
Euro Trip 2025: Turin food & drink
With a full week in the city we were able to try a decent number of spots around town. Sunday Da Frasca - We were glad we had a reservation, as it is small and they did turn people away. I ordered...
Euro Trip 2025: daytrip to Venaria Palace
The Venaria Palace is a former royal hunting residence and gardens located on the outskirts of the city. The most efficient transport seemed to be the an express bus from Castello; unfortunately for...
Euro Trip 2025: Turin’s Piazza della Repubblica markets
The Turin Piazza della Repubblica is a large square that was right around the corner from our apartment. Bisected by trams, it is a bustling spot. At night it is a large parking lot, and each...
Euro Trip 2025: Torino+Piemonte Card
Turin is a beautiful city but almost everything has an entry fee, and several of the main attractions are expensive. Like many cities they offer a card that gets you into multiple sites. The 24-hour...
Euro Trip 2025: daytrip to Ravenna
For our last Saturday in Bologna we decided on a daytrip to Ravenna, a coastal city known for its mosaic-clad 5th/6th century UNESCO world heritage sites. It is a little over an hour from Bologna by...
Euro Trip 2025: day trip to Dozza and San Marino
For this day trip I wanted to see San Marino, as microstates are fascinating, and it would be my 60th country visited. Public transportation would have been inconvenient, so we decided to get a...
Euro Trip 2025: day trip to Ferrara
Ferrara was our first daytrip from Bologna, and while the closest, it took almost an hour on the train due to various slowdowns. Once we arrived we were quickly out of the station, across the road...
Euro Trip 2025: Bologna sites
Most of the core sights are within a few kilometers, so we walked all over the city during our four weeks in Bologna - had to work off all the pasta and gelato! Churches The Basilica di San Petronio...
Our Itinerary
2026 Trips
Parrish, FL (Jan)
Medellin, Colombia (Feb)
Wilmington, NC (Apr)
Madrid, Spain (May)
Asturias, Spain (May)
Galicia, Spain (June)
London/Cotswolds, UK (July)
Long Island, NY (July)
Western Ireland (Aug)
Vietnam (Nov)
Laos (Nov)
Cambodia (Dec)
Singapore (Dec)
2025 Trips
Tampa Bay, FL (Jan)
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Feb)
Villa la Angostura, Argentina (Feb)
Bariloche, Argentina (Feb)
Iguazu Falls (Feb)
Miami, FL (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Mar)
Boston, MA (Apr)
Kathmandu, Nepal (May)
Bhutan (May)
Doha, Qatar (May)
Bristol + London, UK (Jul)
Long Island, NY (Jul)
Slovenia (Sep)
Treviso, Italy (Sep)
Bologna, Italy (Sep)
day trips from Bologna (Oct)
Turin, Italy (Oct)
Greensboro, NC (Nov)